Harvest Moon:Back to the Simple Life
by andrewzinc
Summary: After his grandfather passes away, Jack, a young man from the city, inherits the family farm. However, he learns that farming is harder than he thought.


Back to the Simple Life (A Harvest Moon Fan Fiction)

Chapter 1: Mineral Town

Jack felt his stomach churn as he stood in the doorway of the old farm house. Just yesterday, he had been shocked in hearing about his grandfather's death. The news hit Jack harder than anything else he had ever experienced. Memories of his childhood came back to him: riding horses, chasing the chickens, and just having friendly conversations with his grandfather.

Jack was pulled from his train of thought when he felt a jab on his shoulder. He turned around and saw a small girl around his age. She had rusty-orange hair and wore faded blue overalls with a yellow shirt underneath.

"What are you doing on the old man's farm?" The girl asked loudly. Jack thought for a moment. He decided to stick with the truth.

"He was my grandfather," he replied. "Yesterday, when I heard that he passed away, I came here to say goodbye to the old ranch, I guess."

The obnoxious orange-haired girl focused her gaze towards the ground. She shifted her feet uncomfortably, as if she were thinking of something to say.

"I'm sorry to hear that," She said. "I didn't realize you were his grandson. I'll leave you alone to say your goodbyes," she said solemnly. The girl started to walk away when Jack spotted a chubby little man running frantically towards the farm.

"Are you Jack?" The plump man asked as soon as he reached the farm-house.

"Yeah, I am," Jack replied. "How did you know that?" He asked suspiciously. The little man chuckled.

"Your grandfather talked about you non-stop. He would always brag to the whole town about how great his grandson is," The chubby man said. "Anyway, I need to talk to you about something very important," He said seriously.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked. The little man pulled out a folded piece of paper from his red coat-pocket.

"This is your grandfather's will, Jack. In it, he states that he wants you to run his farm for him," The short man declared.

"What?" Jack exclaimed. "Why does he want me to run it? I only visited a few times in my entire life," He said.

"He wanted to keep the farm running, and he seemed to remember how much you enjoyed playing here as a child. So, how about it, Jack? Will you take over the farm?" The little man asked.

"I… I'm not sure." Jack replied. "I mean, I haven't been here in years, and I don't know anyone," He said. The tiny man smiled brightly.

"Then I'll give you a tour!" he exclaimed. "Come along, Jack. I'll introduce you to everyone!"

Jack sighed, but followed the tiny man anyway. After all, he wanted to get to know the people before he made any serious decisions considering the farm.

After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at the town. Jack was in awe of what he saw. In front of him was a little old-time town, complete with a winery.

"Well, Jack, here we are; Mineral Town, where everyone lives a happy life!" The little man exclaimed. Right after he said that, however, a finely dressed man stormed in front of them in a rage.

"Thomas, I demand that you speak with my wife!" The finely dressed man said to the pudgy man.

"Hello, Duke," The little man, Thomas, said coldly. "I would like to introduce you to the new farmer…"

"I don't care about the new farmer. I care about my own life, and I seem to be doing just fine. At least, I was, until my wife told me that I should 'be more careful about how I spend my money'. Can you believe that?" The finely dressed man, Duke shouted.

"Stop spending all of your money on alcohol, and maybe she wouldn't get so mad, Duke," Thomas suggested. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to show Jack around town. I'll see you around, Duke," He said boldly. Jack couldn't help but grin as Duke walked away.

"Everyone lives a happy life, Thomas?" Jack asked sarcastically. Thomas scowled.

"That man was Duke, the wine merchant. He's a real jerk, but he's this town's biggest source of income," Thomas explained. "Anyway, I still have to show you the rest of the town," Thomas said.

"Well, lead the way,' Jack replied. Thomas led Jack all throughout the town, introducing him to all of the villagers and such. One person, however, caught Jack's attention more than anyone else. In front of the supermarket stood a young woman with long, blonde hair and a kind face.

"Jack, this is Karen," Thomas said, pointing at the young woman. Karen blushed as she noticed Jack's eyes on her.

"Hi, Jack. It's nice to meet you," She said.

"Nice meeting you too," Jack replied. _Stupid!_ He thought. _That's all I could think of? I need to say something charming, something witty… _ "I'm new in town," He said, realizing too late that he was stating the obvious. Karen giggled in amusement.

"Well, Jack, since you're new, maybe you would like to get to know me better over dinner tonight?" she asked. Jack thought for a moment before replying.

"Well… I'm actually not sure if I'm staying yet," Jack said. Karen frowned in disappointment.

"Oh. Well, if you decide to stay, I'll be waiting for you at Doug's restaurant at around 7 tonight. I hope I'll see you around, Jack," Karen said sincerely.

…..

As Jack and Thomas ended their tour of the town, Jack noticed that, aside from Duke, everyone had greeted him with a smile and seemed generally happy to see him.

"Thomas," Jack began. "Why is everyone so friendly here? I mean, what is there to be so happy about?" he asked. Thomas flashed another small smile.

"Not everyone here is happy, Jack. Like everyone else, life sometimes throws challenges their way. However, being in such a tight-knit community, people rarely remain angry for long here. Whenever someone in Mineral Town feels down, their mood is usually lifted by the bright attitudes of the rest of the community," Thomas explained. Jack noticed that the little man was looking at him expectantly.

"You think I should stay, don't you?" Jack asked. Thomas nodded his head enthusiastically.

"Yes, I do. And," Thomas began. "I know a certain blonde girl who has already taken a liking to you," He said. Jack was shocked by this statement.

"Whoa! Hold your horses," Jack said. "You're saying that Karen 'has taken a liking' to me?" Jack asked. Thomas chuckled again.

"It's obvious!" He exclaimed. "The way that she looked at you, the way that she spoke to you; she seemed to want you to stay here in Mineral Town, Jack," Thomas said. Now it was Jack's turn to laugh.

"I see what you're doing. You think I should stay, and you're trying to use Karen as bait!" Jack said. Thomas pretended to be appalled by the idea.

"Th… Th… that's absurd!" He shouted. " But, we could use a new farmer, one who could help out the villagers from time to time," Thomas said. "You could run the farm, and, in return, we could all help you out a bit. What do you say, Jack?" Thomas asked. Jack waited a moment before answering.

"Fine, you win," he said playfully. Thomas pumped his fist in the air.

"That's the spirit, Jack!" Thomas shouted. "However, I have to warn you, running the farm will take some hard work on your behalf," He said.

"I'm up to it," Jack said. "You're right. Running the farm is the right thing to do. Not only am I fulfilling my grandfather's wishes, I'm also helping out a small town. So, what the heck, I'll do it."

"Great!" Thomas exclaimed. "Tomorrow, I'll make sure you get everything you need to get the farm back up and running. In the meantime, you should get ready for your date," he said.

With that, Thomas left jack alone on the ranch, wondering what he had just agreed to.


End file.
